Heaven's Gate: A Destiel AU
by The Profuscus
Summary: A Destiel AU where Sam and Dean are still hunters, however Castiel is... the proud owner of a second-hand bookstore. Sam and Dean drop by to do some research for a hunt, as per norm, however, Dean and Cas' acquaintanceship soon becomes a friendship and we all know where that leads. Warning: There will be angst. Cover is not mine.
1. Emeralds for Eyes

Chapter 1:

Cas

A/N: Hey! If you are here to indulge in my terrible writing, well thanks! I apologize in advance. I'm only on S2 of SPN so my knowledge of the character Castiel is limited. However, a friend, doctorsaywhatnow, on IG, said something about wanting a Nerdy!Cas Destiel fic and well, I just couldn't help myself. I liked the idea so much, I am planning on keeping the story going for as long as possible. The chapters are in pairs (sort of) for example, Ch 1 focuses on Cas, while Ch 2 tells about the same events but it focuses on Dean. Most chapters will either focus on either Cas or Dean but there will probably be some that focus on Sam (or someone else). All feedback is accepted and appreciated! Enjoy.

Ding! The bell chimed as the door the to the rickety book store swung open. Castiel looked up from the book he was repairing, and everything was fuzzy. With an impatient sigh, he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. Two men had entered the book store. Normally, Castiel wouldn't have paid much attention, but these men didn't exactly look like the type of people who would hang around in second-hand bookstores. One of the pair looked a little out of his depth, gazing around the book store as if wondering what he was doing in such a place. Castiel couldn't help but wonder the same thing. He was wearing a dusty leather jacket, jeans, and combat boots. Castiel glanced out the windows of the shop to see that the car they had driven in was what he called a "cool guy car". It was a black muscle car. A classic it looked like. Castiel had no doubt that the man in the leather jacket knew every single detail about his car. He was surveying one of the shelves with... distaste? Castiel felt a fleeting pang of embarrassment. What was wrong with his bookstore? Nothing, he thought to himself, there is nothing wrong with my bookstore. These two were most definitely out of place. "May I help you?" He asked. The pair looked over to him. "No thanks," the taller one said politely. "My brother and I are just gonna look around a bit. Also, would it be alright if we just hung around and read for a while?" Castiel nodded, wondering what they could possibly be browsing for. "Thanks. This way." He said. The shorter of two was staring at Castiel. Castiel blushed and looked away. My God, are his eyes green, like he has emeralds for eyes, he thought. "Dean." Said the tall man. Dean turned and followed his brother among the shelves. Castiel noted they headed towards the mythology section. "Dean." He whispered under his breath. He liked the way the name felt on his tongue. "Dean." He whispered again, before sliding his too-big glasses back up, and returning to the damaged book.


	2. Sapphires for Eyes

Chapter 2:

Dean

"Do we really have to go in here?" Dean asked incredulously. "Yes." Replied Sam. "Why can't we just go to the library instead of some junk bookstore?" "This is a second-hand store, but they have more books on mythology than the library does in a such a small town." "Fine." They exited the impala and started towards the book store. Dean examined the storefront. The battered sign on the door read: Heaven's Gate. Weird name for a book store, Dean thought. He entered with Sam, and was a little taken aback. The place wasn't as bad as he had thought. It was a lot bigger on the inside. The complex was slightly rustic and had the feel of home. The place made Dean feel warm and comfortable. And... safe. His eyes wandered the shelves and fell upon a shelf of religious books. He felt a distasteful look spread across his face. "What a load of bullcrap." He muttered under his breath. "May I help you?" A gravelly voice cut through Dean's thoughts. He turned to see the store owner behind the checkout counter. His name tag read "Castiel". It was a strange name, but Dean liked it. Castiel was wearing a weather-beaten trenchcoat and a loose blue tie, which brought out the color of his eyes. Those eyes. Man, are those eyes blue, Dean thought to himself. Like he had sapphires for eyes. "No thanks," Sam said politely. "My brother and I are just gonna look around a bit. Also, would it be alright if we just hung around and read for a while?" Castiel nodded. "Thanks. This way." Sam said, but Dean barely heard him. He was too busy admiring the color of Castiel's eyes. Castiel blushed and turned away. "Dean." Sam repeated. Dean turned and followed him to the mythology section, the whole time a single word drumming through his head; Castiel.


	3. You Don't Like Reading?

Chapter 3:

Cas

Castiel carefully closed the cover of the damaged book and set it next to the three others he'd repaired that day. They had all been donations. He was happy to receive donations, however most of them were damaged, some of them pretty badly. He was able to repair most of them. He'd just finished rebinding the book. He checked his watch. 7:43 PM. Had that much time passed already? Last time he had checked it was around 2 o'clock. That was when the strange men had come in. They still hadn't left. The store's hours were from 6-8 everyday, closed on Sundays, however Castiel usually closed up shop earlier than 8, since he didn't get much business. He stepped out from behind the counter and made his way over to where the two brothers were researching at one of the tables. He walked up behind them. Neither of them noticed. "Excuse me." He said quietly, trying not to startle them. It didn't work. Both of them jumped. "Are you some kind of ninja?" Dean asked. "Sorry." Castiel mumbled. "I just wanted to let you two know that the store is closing in about 15 minutes." Dean sighed with relief. The other man seemed to be disappointed. Castiel noted that while the tall man had a large pile of books he had read through, Dean only had read one. "We haven't finished our research yet, Dean!" Dean snorted. "Whatever, Sam. You're such a dork." "You don't like reading?" Castiel interjected, barely believing what Dean was saying. How could someone so handsome have such poor taste? "Sorry, no." He said with a shrug. "Well, I'll just have to change that." Castiel replied stubbornly. "Good luck with that." Said Sam laughingly. "On a more serious note, is it alright if we do the same thing tomorrow?" "Well," said Castiel slowly. "I'm usually closed on Sundays," Dean's face lit up. "But since this research is so important, I supposed I could open up just for you guys." Dean looked crestfallen. "Besides, we wouldn't want Dean to miss out." Dean shot him a glare. Castiel ignored him. Castiel would get Dean to love reading if it was the last thing he did. "Thank you, Mr...?" Sam trailed off. "Novak. But call me Castiel, please." Castiel replied. "Yeah, well thanks, Cas." Said Dean grumpily. Cas ushered the two brothers out of his humble store and watched as they got into their car and drove off. Castiel smiled to himself. He sure did have his work cut out for him.


	4. What A Doormat

Chapter 4:

Dean

A/N: This chapter, some of the dialogue that matches up to the previous chapter is skipped, and instead shows what Dean's thoughts while the dialogue is taking place.

Dean slid into a seat at the nearest table as Sam dashed among the shelves. What a geek, Dean thought. Moments later, Sam returned with a huge stack of diverse books. Some were old, leather bound, and heavy, while others were more modern. "We have to read all of these?" Dean asked, his disgust undisguised. "Yes. Get busy." Said Sam, already dividing the stack in two, and sliding half over to Dean. Sam grabbed a book, opened it to the first page and started reading. Dean hesitated for a moment before doing the same. He was only two words in when the letters started floating off the page. Everything was upside-down, backwards, moving. Dean couldn't read a damn thing. God, he hated being dyslexic. Nobody knew about Dean's dyslexia. Not even Sam. Everyone just thought he was a slacker who hated reading, which wasn't too far from the truth. Dean had vowed that he would never admit his dyslexia. It made him look weak. And stupid. Hours passed. He managed to struggle through one book. He grabbed another, and the torture began anew. "Excuse me." Said a voice behind him. Dean nearly jumped out of his skin. "Are you some kind of ninja?" He asked, turning around to face Castiel, the shop owner and sole employee. He said that the store would be closing soon. Dean cheered internally, while Sam was disappointed. "We haven't finished our research yet, Dean!" "Whatever, Sam. You're such a dork." "You don't like reading?" Castiel interrupted. He looked kind of pissed. It was hot. Wait, WHAT? Guys are NOT hot, Dean! He scolded himself mentally. Dean had no idea where that thought came from but it _really_ freaked him out. "Sorry, no." He responded with a shrug. Cas can try all he wants, Dean thought, but I'll never love reading. And then of course, Sam had to see if they could come back. TOMORROW. The joke would be on Sam this time. Dean had checked the hours before he came in. Closed on Sundays. Aannnnnd the guy was gonna make a special exception. Great. What a door mat, he thought. A door mat with the nerve to poke fun a Dean Winchester? He would get revenge for this. Dean glared at Castiel. Cas ignored him. Sam thanked him and they got up and left. As Dean turned the key in the ignition, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, Cas could make a difference after all.


	5. As A Man Thinketh

Chapter 5:

Cas

A/N: Apology for the continuity error that you may or may not have noticed. The error is, Dean reads the sign on the bookstore's door perfectly fine, but he can barely read a single book bc dyslexia so yeah that's my bad guys, sorry. Um this chapter is dedicated to (yeah I'm doing dedications get over it) consideryoulokid because well you are the first (and only) person to have read my story (I think) and you voted for it so thanks for being awesome (enjoying my pitiful writing) so yeah um thanks that's about it.  
Woo (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

At precisely 5:45 AM, Castiel arrived at his book store. He unlocked the door and waited. About 15 minutes later, the two brothers arrived in the muscle car, the engine roaring loudly. Castiel didn't own a car. He hardly ever needed to go anywhere outside of town, and when he did, he took a bus. Everywhere else was within walking distance. So that's what he did. He walked. They walked up to the door and hesitantly pushed it open, as if expecting it to be locked. "Good morning." Castiel greeted them. Dean gave a gigantic yawn in reply. Castiel's stomach fluttered. "Hey, thanks again for letting us come in early." Sam said politely. "I don't believe we ever introduced ourselves. My name is Sam Winchester, and this is my brother Dean." Castiel formally shook hands with both of them. "My name is Castiel Novak." Castiel prayed that they wouldn't recognize the last name. "And it's no big deal, I'm here anyways." "You're here at 6 in the morning?" Dean asked incredulously. "Everyday" he replied. "Why don't you two go ahead and continue your research. You'll see me around, stocking shelves and such. I'll try not to disturb you." "Thanks, man." Said Sam. The Winchesters set off to the back of the book store to continue working on their mysterious research. So while the brothers started working, Castiel did the same. He checked the donations bin. It was empty. He went to each of the shelves, and reordered the books. He sighed. Is it really so hard for people to return books to their proper place after they have finished looking through them? He thought. Straightening up the shelves only took him a little over an hour. The shipment of books he was expecting wouldn't arrive for another 45 minutes. But the coffee shop down the road was open. Castiel removed his name tag and left the store, locking the door behind him. He took a deep breath of the crisp, autumn air before setting off down the sidewalk. He got to the coffee shop in about 10 minutes, however with the majority of citizens heading to work at this time, he had to wait 20 minutes to receive his 3 coffees from the grumpy barista. He strolled back to the book store, drinking his coffee along the way. He finished it and dropped it into the trash can on the sidewalk just in front of his shop. He unlocked the door and headed to the mythology section where Sam and Dean were reading. "I thought you guys might like some coffee." He said, setting the cups down between them. "Thanks a ton, Cas." Said Dean, grinning broadly. "Thanks." Repeated Sam. Castiel returned to the checkout counter before realizing he had no work to do. He pulled out the book he was currently reading, _As A Man Thinketh_ by James Allen. However, he couldn't concentrate. All he could think of was Dean and his smile. The way his gorgeous emeralds of eyes lit up. His constellations of freckles. And that's when Castiel realized that he was undeniably in love with Dean Winchester.


	6. Soy Grande Cinnamon Dolce Yolo Latte

Chapter 6:

A/N: So I kinda stopped doing chapter dedications but I'm gonna start doing it again so this chapter is dedicated to borntokillthedoctor because they are amazing and just so you guys know, YOU ARE ALL AMAZING. The comments that you post are really uplifting, and even if you don't comment or vote, you just read this story, I'd like to thank you because it means a lot to me. Alright, no chick flick moments. Btw I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. Let's get back to the story. PS: One of the jokes in this chapter is stolen from tumblr.

Dean

Dean woke up to Sam yanking his covers off at 5:30 AM. "Bitch." He said, with a massive yawn. "Jerk." Sam replied. Sam was already dressed and ready to go. "Dude, what time did you get up?" Dean asked. "4 AM" Sam replied. "Why?" "I had to make sure that YOU would get up." "Whatever." Dean mumbled. He got up and took a quick shower, enjoying the feeling of hot water pounding his skin. He had hoped it would help him be a bit more awake. It didn't. Dean was ready in about 25 minutes, and the brothers hopped into the impala and drove the short distance to Heaven's Gate. They arrived around 6 and headed to the door. Dean hesitantly pushed on it, hoping that it would be locked. It wasn't. The two brothers entered and were greeted by Castiel with a polite "Good morning." Dean yawned widely, then felt a flash of embarrassment. Sam made polite introductions, then they all shook hands. The brief contact with Cas' warm hand sent a shiver down Dean's spine. Cas told them to go ahead and get to work and that he'd try not to disturb them. This guy is a little _too_ polite, Dean thought. He followed Sam back through the shelves and to the table they had been working at. Sam eagerly grabbed a stack of books and started digging through them. Dean dejectedly grabbed the smallest one he could find and started looking through it. About an hour and a half later, Cas came up to their table and set down coffee. "I thought you guys might like some coffee." He said. "Thanks a ton, Cas." Dean said. "Thanks." Said Sam. The shop owner's face broke into an adorably wide grin and he scurried off, back to the front of the store. Sam took a sip of his coffee, then made a face. "Who even drinks black coffee?" He asked. "Well how was he supposed to know to get you a soy grande cinnamon dolce yolo latte or whatever the hell it is you drink?" Dean defended. Sam stared at him. Embarrassed, Dean looked to his book, resolutely avoiding eye contact with Sam. Sam hesitantly dropped his gaze and continued reading. Dean was embarrassed about what he had said, but it wasn't untrue. Now, Dean's thoughts were focused on Castiel's adorable grin. He tried to focus on the book, but it was no good. He sighed. It was going to be a very long day.


	7. A Very Loopy Signature

Chapter 7:

Cas

Castiel's sudden revelation worried him. What if Dean didn't feel the same way? Besides, we barely even know each other! He thought. A knock on the door shook him out or his thoughts. The delivery man. He walked over to the door, unlocked it and pulled it open. "Sign please." The man said rather gruffly, although, in all fairness, he was carrying a _very_ heavy box. Castiel grabbed the digital signature pad off the top of the package and scribbled a very loopy signature that if you were lucky, and stared at it long enough, you might be able to make out _Castiel Novak. _Cas took the package from the delivery guy and grunted. It _was _heavy, but Cas was stronger than he looked. He brought the package over to the counter, and set it down. He grabbed an a knife and cut the tape that was holding the box closed. He opened the box and took out all the books. He sorted them into stacks. He wondered what kind of books Dean would like to read, that is if he could. Dean didn't say that he couldn't read, but Castiel knew that that was the only reason someone could dislike or not care for reading. Fantasy. Castiel decided with certainty. Dean likes fiction/fantasy stories. Castiel was good at knowing what kind of books a person liked. It didn't seem like much to most people, but Castiel was grateful that God had graced him with such a wonderful talent. Castiel went to put the books on the shelves when he heard Sam talking about his coffee. Castiel's heart plummeted. But then he heard Dean. Beautifully imperfect Dean, defending fiercely.  
Castiel's heart soared. He was beaming as he stocked the shelves. "What are you so happy about?" Dean asked, as the Winchesters caught sight of him. "It's a beautiful, God-given day." He said. "Why should I not be happy?"  
Headed back to the checkout counter, his trenchcoat rustling as he walked.  
It was a great day.


End file.
